华中农业大学经济管理学院经济学系柳鹏程老师（一作）和涂涛涛老师（通讯）团队合作论文“Choice Overload and Experienced Utility in the Chinese Dairy Market: The Moderating Role of Decision Styles and the Impact of Information Nudging”发表于Food Quality and Preference杂志。该杂志是一本以FOOD SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY为研究方向的国际顶尖学术杂志，由Elsevier Ltd出版，为中科院一区Top期刊。

这篇论文的核心在于探讨选择过载对消费者“体验效用”的影响，并检验信息助推作为干预策略的有效性。研究聚焦于中国乳制品这一产品品类，该市场以其产品种类繁多和属性差异复杂而闻名，为研究选择过载提供了理想的场景。论文通过三个受控实验，系统地操纵了产品属性复杂性的增加和相似选项的引入，以探究这些因素如何影响消费者的情绪反应和决策满意度。同时，研究还考量了消费者个体决策风格（最大化者与满意者）在其中的调节作用。特别值得关注的是，该研究还开发了一个新的多项目量表来捕捉消费者在决策过程中的实时认知和情感负担，超越了传统的事后满意度衡量方法。最终，论文发现信息助推，特别是突出产品积极属性的策略，能够有效缓解选择过载的负面影响，尤其对最大化者而言效果显著。

Abstract

This study investigates the impact of choice overload on consumers' experienced utility—the subjective emotional and cognitive burdens encountered during decision-making—within the rapidly expanding Chinese dairy market. We specifically examine how increasing decision complexity, through heightened product attribute differentiation and the introduction of similar options, affects consumers' emotional responses and overall satisfaction. Utilizing a controlled experimental design with 248 participants, classified as either maximizers or satisficers based on their individual decision-making styles, we manipulated product attributes and options across three experimental conditions. Our findings reveal that heightened attribute complexity and the presence of similar product options significantly increase negative emotions, such as anxiety and confusion, while simultaneously decreasing decision satisfaction. These adverse effects are particularly pronounced among maximizers, who are predisposed to exhaustive evaluation. Crucially, the research demonstrates that information nudging, specifically highlighting positive product attributes, effectively mitigates these negative consequences of choice overload. This strategy simplifies the decision-making process, especially for maximizers, leading to enhanced consumer experiences. By integrating the concept of experienced utility, this study offers a deeper understanding of the psychological costs consumers bear when faced with complex choices in food consumption. The insights provided are valuable for marketers and policymakers seeking to reduce cognitive load and improve consumer satisfaction amidst the growing product variety in the dairy sector, fostering more efficient and consumer-friendly decision-making.

全文链接:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodqual.2025.105635

文字：王敬斌

审核：李谷成

责任编辑：魏哲焕

编辑：姚可漪